Method and system for termination blocking of message delivery service

ABSTRACT

A method ( 20 ) and system ( 50 ) is provided that permits a telephone caller to leave a message for a called party that does not have a conventional answering service, such as voice mail, an answering machine, a third-party operator-assisted answering service, or the like. A configurable blocking mechanism is also provided, permitting parties to prevent the message delivery service from being offered to callers attempting to reach them. The method ( 20 ) and system ( 50 ) can be implemented using an advanced intelligent network (AIN). In an AIN environment, the blocking mechanism can include a switch control point (SCP) ( 58 ) configured to access a termination blocking list ( 60 ). The termination blocking list ( 60 ) can be an SCP database file containing entries representing called parties who have blocked the message delivery service.

This is continuation of application Ser. No. 09/239,232 filed Jan. 28,1999 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,424,702.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to telecommunications, and inparticular, to messaging services in a telephone system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Convenience continues to be a predominant trend in today's society. Withanswering machines, voice mail and other messaging services becomingincreasingly common, many callers find it frustrating to receive noanswer. This situation arises when a caller attempts to reach a partythat does not have an answering machine, voice mail or any othermessaging service. Accordingly, there is a need for a message deliveryservice that enables a caller to benefit from the convenience of beingable to leave a message even when the called party does not have asystem automatically answering their phone. However, such a serviceshould allow for called parties who insist on not receiving telephonicmessages, to block the service, preventing messages from being deliveredto their extension(s).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is pointed out with particularity in the appended claims.However, other features of the invention will become more apparent, andthe invention will be best understood by referring to the followingdetailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 shows a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a messagedelivery service in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a telecommunications system inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows an event diagram depicting caller invocation of the messagedelivery service available from the system of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart diagram illustrating the operation of theoriginating service switching point (SSP) of FIG. 2 in accordance withan embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 5-7 show a flowchart diagram illustrating a method of operatingthe originating service control point (SCP) of FIG. 2 in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 shows a flowchart diagram illustrating a method of operating theservice node/intelligent peripheral (SN/IP) of FIG. 2 in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to an improved message delivery servicethat records a caller's message for subsequent delivery to a calledparty. The service includes, among other things, a blocking mechanismthat can be configured at the request of the called party to preventactivation of the message delivery service. This feature is advantageousin that it provides subscribers the option of not receiving incomingcalls from an automated message delivery system.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, an advancedintelligent network (AIN) is configured to provide aselectively-enableable message service for delivering caller informationto a called party subsequent to an originating call. The messagingservice is capable of collecting and recording the caller informationduring the originating call and then placing one or more calls to thecalled party at successive intervals to deliver the caller information.

A blocking mechanism permits the called party to disable the messagingservice so that it is not made available to the caller during theoriginating call. The blocking mechanism can be included in any of theelements of the AIN, or alternatively, it can be provided as a separatedevice, such as a conventional central office switch or communicationserve connected thereto, operating in conjunction with the AIN.

Turning now to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 1, there isillustrated a flowchart diagram describing the operation of a messagedelivery service in a telecommunications system that accords with anembodiment of the present invention. In step 22, a caller places a callto the called party. Upon detecting a no-answer condition (step 24), atermination blocking list is accessed (step 26). A no-answer conditionexists when a call has rung for a predetermined time without the calledparty answering. The termination blocking list can be a database fileincluded in the blocking mechanism. The list can include caller-IDs, thenames, numbers, or any other type of information for identifying calledparties that do not wish to receive messages generated by the deliveryservice.

Accordingly, while the call is in progress, a check is made to determinewhether or not the called party is included in the termination blockinglist (step 28). If the called party is identified in the list, themessage delivery service is blocked, i.e., it is not offered to thecalling party. In this circumstance, the call simply continues ringingthe called party, without the service being offered (step 30) until thecaller hangs up (step 32) or the call is otherwise terminated. However,if the called party is not identified by the blocking list, the deliveryservice provides the caller the option of recording a message (step 34).

If the caller selects the service, a message is recorded and stored.After the message is recorded, the caller is disconnected (step 36). Theservice then automatically places one or more calls to the called partyat predetermined intervals (step 38) to deliver the message. During eachcall, a check is made to determine whether the called party answers(step 40). If the party answers, the recorded message is played back(step 44). However, if after a predetermined number of attempts, thecalled party fails to answer the calls placed by the messaging service,the service deletes the stored message (step 42).

Turning now to FIG. 2, there is illustrated a telecommunications system50 providing an exemplary embodiment that accords with the presentinvention. The system 50 can include an advanced intelligent network(AIN) including an originating service switching point (SSP) 54, anoriginating service control point (SCP) 58, a service node/intelligentperipheral (SN/IP) 56, a termination blocking list 60, a signal transferpoint (STP) 59, a service management system (SMS) 62, and a terminationSSP 64. A caller customer premises equipment (CPE) 52, such as atelephone or the like, can communicate with the originating SSP 54,using any suitable interface, including a local loop, conventionalanalog, or alternatively, a digital communication link, such as anintegrated service digital network (ISDN) interface. A called party CPE66 such as a telephone or the like, communicates with the terminationSSP 64 using a suitable interface, such as those listed above for thecaller CPE 52.

The AIN architecture can be implemented with common channel SignallingSystem No. 7 (SS7) protocol. An SS7 network includes various packetswitching elements and transmission links, some of which are shown inthe system 50. For instance, the SMS 62 generally includes acomputer-based system used to design service logic, to control logicimplementation on the system 50, and to manage system operation, such asmonitoring traffic levels, collecting statistics and billing data, andproviding a mechanism for updating the AIN according to subscriberservice orders. Although not so limited, the SMS 62 can be implementedby a computer workstation, such as an HP9000 from Hewlett-Packard,running commercially available SMS software.

The SCP 58 can be a commercially-available AIN node which contains theservice logic and associated data support to execute the requiredcustomer services. For example, the SCP 58 can be implemented using anSCP Model 1 or Model 2, available from Lucent Technologies, Inc.

As is known in the art, the STP 59 can be a packet switch used to routesignalling messages within the network.

The SSPs 54, 64 can be commercially-available AIN nodes used as local orcentral office switches sometimes also referred to as an end-office,which recognize “triggers” generated when a call invokes an AIN service.As is known in the art, standard triggers are provided withcommercially-available SSPs, as well as proprietary triggers that areavailable with and well documented for specific SSPs. Generally, upondetecting a trigger, an SSP communicates with its SCP to operate theinvoked service.

The functionality of the originating and termination SSPs 54, 64 asdisclosed herein can be implemented using a 5ESS switch, with generic5E11 update or better, available from Lucent Technologies, Inc.

The termination blocking list 60 can be a database file containinginformation (such as a party's name and number), for identifying partiesthat do not want the messaging service to deliver information to them.If a party has entered into the termination blocking list 60, themessaging service will be blocked, and the caller will not be given theoption to invoke the service. The termination blocking list 60 can beupdated to include or delete a party's entry therein. This can beaccomplished by the party submitting a service order to the SMS 62,which in turn, sends a message to the SCP 58 causing a service logicthereof to modify the termination blocking list. The SMS 62 can includea standard software interface configured to permit an operator tomanually enter a service request generated by a party to create aservice order.

The SN/IP 56 can be a computer or communication server linked via anopen interface to the originating SSP 54. In the example shown, the SSP54 and the SN/IP 56 communicate via an integrated services digitalnetwork (ISDN) connection. The ISDN link can be implemented using eitherISDN-BRI (basic rate interface) or ISDN-PRI (primary rate interface)protocols, which are known in the art.

It is not necessary to have SN/IP 56 directly connected to theoriginating SSP 54. The SN/IP 56 can be alternatively connected toanother SSP or an end office (EO) (not shown) that is in communicationwith the originating SSP 54. In this arrangement, calls are connected tothe SN/IP by routing them through the other SSP or EO hosting the SN/IP.

The SN/IP 56 contains and manages resources required to offer servicesand service enhancements to network users. Generally, the SN/IP 56 maybe used to combine advanced speech technologies and computer telephonyintegration (CTI) capabilities in a single platform that can be used asa network resource. The services provided by the SN/IP 24 can includevoice or fax store and forward, dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF)recognition with external telephony resources, text-to-speech synthesis,and the like. A compact service node (CSN) as manufactured by LucentTechnologies, Inc., can be used to provide the functionalities of theSN/IP 56 disclosed herein.

FIG. 3 shows an event diagram 70 depicting the invocation of the messagedelivery service in the AIN of FIG. 2. Initially, the calling party(party A) calls the called party (party B) (Event 1). The call is placedfrom the caller unit 52, and received by the originating SSP 54, whichroutes the call to the termination SSP 64. After connecting the call, ano-answer office trigger is generated by the originating SSP 54 uponparty B's failure to answer after a predetermined, programmable intervalhas elapsed. The originating SSP 54 includes a timer (not shown) fordetermining elapsed time. Upon detecting the no-answer trigger, theoriginating SSP 54 queries the SCP 58. The query can be sent to the SCP58 using a conventional SS7 protocol. In response to the query, the SCP58 screens the call to determine whether the message delivery service isavailable to party A. The screening is accomplished by comparing callerinformation and/or called party information to predetermined criteria,such as lists of restricted prefixes, non-LATA callers, and the like.The caller/called party information can be provided with the querymessage. If the service is available, the SCP 58 notifies the SSP 54,causing the SSP 54 to generate an announcement to party A offering themessage delivery service.

Party A's response to this offer is passed from the SSP 54 to the SCP58, which then determines whether or not party A has selected to delivera message. If party A has selected the service, the SCP 58 sends ananalyze-route message to the SSP 54, where the analyze route messageincludes a called number parameter sent to the number of the SN/IP 56.Upon receiving the analyze-route message, the SSP 54 connects the callSN/IP 56, which can play a series of announcements to party A andcollect and record caller information. The caller information caninclude the caller's name and phone number. After the call hasterminated, the SN/IP 56 places successive calls to party B via thetermination SSP 64 until the party B answers or a predetermined maximumnumber of attempts is exceeded. If party B answers any of these calls,the recorded message is delivered by playing it back to party B.

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart diagram of a method 80 of operating theoriginating SSP 54 shown in FIG. 2. In step 82, the SSP 54 detects anoff-hook condition generated by the caller CPE 52. In response to theoff-hook condition, the SSP 54 provides a dial tone (step 84) to thecaller CPE 52. After receiving a dialed number, the SSP 54 routes thecall to the called parties premise equipment 66 (step 86). After thecall has been allowed to ring for a predetermined time without answer, ano-answer trigger is encountered by the SSP 54 (step 88). In response tothe no-answer trigger, the SSP 54 transmits a no-answer query to the SCP58 (step 90). The no-answer query can include caller and called party'sinformation. The SCP 58 then screens the call according to predeterminedcriteria and then provides a response to the SSP 54. Details of thescreening criteria are provided below with reference to FIGS. 5-7.Referring back to FIG. 4, in step 92, the SSP 54 receives the SCPresponse. If the SCP 58 responds with a continue message, the messagingservice is not invoked and the SSP 54 continues ringing the called party(step 94) until the caller hangs up or the called party answers (step96).

However, if the SCP 58 transmits a send-to-resource message to the SSP54, the messaging service will be offered to the called party. In thiscase, the SSP 54 plays an announcement to the caller giving the callerthe option to select the messaging service (step 100). In step 102, theSSP 54 collects the digits entered by the caller in response to theannouncement and sends them to the SCP 58 to be analyzed. The SCP 58compares the caller digits to predetermined criteria to determinewhether the caller has selected the service. If the caller selects theservice, the SCP transmits an analyze-route message to the SSP 54;otherwise, if the caller has not selected the service, the SCP 58transmits a continue message (step 104). If the SSP 54 receives thecontinue message, the service is not offered and the SSP 54 continues toring the called party (step 94) until the caller hangs up or the calledparty answers (step 96). However, upon receiving an analyze-routemessage, the SSP 54 attempts to connect the caller to SN/IP 56 (step106).

FIGS. 5-7 show a flowchart illustrating a method 120 of operating theoriginating SCP 58 shown in FIG. 2. The primary functions of the SCP 58are to control the service and to screen the calls by comparing incomingcaller/called party information to the predetermined criteria. Toprovide the message delivery service, the SCP 58 communicates with theSSP 54 and provides control information for successfully routing theoriginating call. To provide the message delivery service, operation ofthe SCP 58 commences upon receiving a no-answer query from the SSP 54(step 122). Upon receiving this query, the SCP 58 accesses thetermination blocking list 60 (step 124). As described above, thetermination blocking list 60 can be a database file containinginformation for identifying parties that do not want the messagingservice to deliver caller information to them.

After accessing the termination blocking list 60, the SCP 58 determineswhether the message delivery service has been blocked by the calledparty (step 126). If so, the SCP 58 outputs a continue message to theSSP 54, causing the SSP 54 to continue ringing the called party withoutoffering the service. However, if the service is not blocked by thetermination blocking list, the method 120 proceeds to step 128.

The remaining screening criteria discussed in reference to steps 128-138are not exhaustive, representing examples of possible criteria that canbe used in conjunction with the termination blocking list 60. In step128, a check is made to determine whether the identity of the callingparty is equal to that of the called party. If so, the SCP 58 generatesthe continue message step 148 and the service is not offered. Otherwise,the SCP 58 continues its screening process by comparing the call toadditional criteria. In step 130, a check is made to determine whetherthe caller and the called party reside within the same local access andtransport area (LATA). If not, the SCP 58 outputs a continue message tothe SSP 54. Otherwise, the method proceeds to step 132, where the areacode of the called party is checked to determine whether it isrestricted from using the messaging service. A list of excluded areacodes can include toll-free numbers, such as 800 and 888 numbers, aswell as toll numbers, such as 900 and 976 area codes. The SCP 58 can beconfigured to prohibit the message delivery service from anypredetermined area code.

Next, in step 134 a check is made to determine whether or not the calledparty phone number includes the correct number of digits. For example,the correct number of digits in a phone number is typically ten orseven. If the correct number of digits is not present, the SCP 58generates a continue message and the service is not offered (step 148).Otherwise, the SCP 58 continues its comparisons and determines whetherthe called party's caller-ID has been blocked, restricting presentationthereof (step 136). If so, the message delivery service is not offeredand the SCP 58 generates a continue message (step 148). Next, in step138 the SCP 58 checks an origination blocking list to determine whetheror not the caller is prohibited from accessing the message deliveryservice. The origination blocking list can have a function analogous tothat of the termination blocking list, in that it prevents the messagedelivery service from being offered to predetermined callers. However,the two blocking lists differ in that the origination blocking listcontains entries identifying calling parties, while the terminationblocking list contains entries identifying called parties. Accordingly,if the caller is identified in the origination blocking list, the SCP 58generates a continue message (step 148) and the caller is denied accessto the delivery service.

If the call satisfies all of the predetermined criteria utilized by theSCP 58, the SCP 58 outputs a send-to-resource message to the SSP 54(step 140). This message causes the SSP 54 to present the messagingservice announcement to the caller. The SCP 58 then waits until itreceives a resource-clear message containing the callers response (step142). In step 144, a check is made to determine whether theresource-clear message indicates that the call was answered orabandoned. If so, the SCP 58 terminates its actions regarding themessage delivery service. If not, a check is made by the SCP 58 todetermine whether the caller has selected the message delivering service(step 146). If not, the SCP 58 outputs the continue message (step 148).If so, the SCP 58 outputs an analyze-route message, causing the SSP 54to connect the call to the SN/IP 56 (step 150).

FIG. 8 depicts a flowchart illustrating a method 170 of operating theSN/IP 56 to provide the message delivery service. Under the deliveryservice, the SN/IP 56 commences operation when the SSP 54 connects thecall thereto (step 172). After receiving a call from the SSP 54, theSN/IP 56 plays an audible service announcement describing the messagedelivery service and providing a number of options to the caller, suchas message playback, editing, or deletion.

In step 176, the SN/IP 56 records and stores the caller's message. Themessage can include the caller's name and number as spoken by thecaller. Alternatively, the recorded message can include caller-IDinformation automatically provided to the SN/IP 56 by the SSP 54. Thisinformation can be provided to a text-to-speech synthesizer (not shown)within the SN/IP 56 for audible delivery to the called party at a latertime.

After the message is recorded, the caller is disconnected from the AIN(step 178). After the caller has been disconnected, the SN/IP 56 can setsoftware variables representing a start time and a call count. Thesevariables are used to determine the interval between calls placed by theSN/IP 56 to the called party and the number of attempts by the SN/IP 56to reach the called party. In step 182, a check is made to determinewhether the difference between the current time and the start time isequal to a predetermined interval defining the period between successivecalls made by the SN/IP 56 to the called party. The current time can beprovided by a conventional system clock provided within the SN/IP 56. Ifthe interval has not elapsed, the message delivery service enters atemporary wait state (step 184) and then repeats the check of whetherthe interval has elapsed. After the interval has elapsed, the call countis compared to a predetermined maximum call count. The maximum callcount can be a programmable software variable indicating the maximumnumber of attempts by the SN/IP 56 to successfully complete a call tothe called party. In the example shown, if the call count is equal tothe maximum count, the SN/IP 56 has failed to deliver the stored messageand, in turn, deletes the message (step 188). However, if the call counthas not exceeded the maximum count, the SN/IP 56 places the messagedelivery call to the called party (step 190). The SN/IP 56 monitors thecall to determine whether or not called party answers (step 192). If theparty answers, the stored message is played back to the called party.The SN/IP 56 can be configured to provide playback options to the calledparty, such as playback repeat, message forwarding, message archiving,or the like. However, if the called party does not answer, the callcount variable is incremented and a new successive interval is commencedand the method 170 returns to step 182.

The AIN elements, such as the SSP 54, the SCP 58, and the SN/IP 56, canbe configured to accept an article of manufacture, such as acomputer-readable medium that contains software components in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention. In sum, there has beendisclosed herein a system and method that permits a telephonic messagedelivery service to be blocked by a called party. Because the system andmethod as disclosed herein can utilize a termination blocking list, itcan permit a party to conveniently and transparently disable theservice.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present inventionare possible in light of the above teachings. Thus, it is to beunderstood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the inventionmay be practiced otherwise than as specifically described above.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for blocking a message delivery servicethat records a caller's message for subsequent delivery to a calledparty, the method comprising: receiving a call from a caller to a calledparty; determining if the called party is included in a blocking listthat identifies a plurality of called parties who do not want a messagedelivery service to deliver caller messages to them; and if the calledparty is included in the blocking list, preventing the message deliveryservice from being offered to the caller.
 2. The invention of claim 1further comprising: if the called party is not included in the blockinglist, offering the message delivery service to the caller.
 3. Theinvention of claim 1 further comprising: receiving a request from thecalled party to be included in the blocking list; and adding the calledparty to the blocking list.
 4. The invention of claim 3, wherein aservice management system adds the called party to the blocking list. 5.The invention of claim 1, where in the act of determining is performedif the called party has not answered the call after a predeterminedtime.
 6. The invention of claim 1, wherein the blocking list comprisescaller-ID information of the called parties.
 7. The invention of claim1, wherein the blocking list comprises names of the called parties. 8.The invention of claim 1, wherein the blocking list comprises numbers ofthe called parties.
 9. The invention of claim 1, wherein a servicecontrol point performs the determining and preventing acts.
 10. A methodfor blocking a message delivery service comprising: providing a messagedelivery service that records caller information during a call from acaller to a called party and subsequently delivers the callerinformation to the called party by placing a call to the called partyfollowing the call from the caller to the called party; and providing ablocking list identifying a plurality of called parties who do not wantthe message delivery service to deliver caller messages to them; whereinthe message delivery service is not offered to callers calling calledparties included on the blocking list.
 11. The invention of claim 10further comprising: receiving a request from a party to be included inthe blocking list; and adding the party to the blocking list.
 12. Theinvention of claim 10, wherein the blocking list comprises caller-IDinformation of the called parties.
 13. The invention of claim 10,wherein the blocking list comprises names of the called parties.
 14. Theinvention of claim 10, wherein the blocking list comprises numbers ofthe called parties.
 15. A telecommunication system comprising: ablocking list identifying a plurality of called parties who do not wanta message delivery service to deliver caller messages to them; and aprocessor in communication with the blocking list, the processorproviding a message delivery service that records a message from acaller to a called party and subsequently delivers the message to thecalled party if the called party is not identified in the blocking list.16. The invention of claim 15, wherein the processor comprises a servicecontrol point.
 17. The invention of claim 15 further comprising aservice management system operative to add a party to the blocking list.18. The invention of claim 15, wherein the blocking list comprisescaller-ID information of the called parties.
 19. The invention of claim15, wherein the blocking list comprises names of the called parties. 20.The invention of claim 15, wherein the blocking list comprises numbersof the called parties.